


The Oracle and the Hunter

by Emiza



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Animal Death, F/M, First Meetings, Magic, Minor Character Death, Oracles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-09
Updated: 2019-06-09
Packaged: 2020-04-23 10:07:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19148887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emiza/pseuds/Emiza
Summary: Angela is an Oracle working for the great emperor, but a vision of his assassination puts her in danger and she has to escape.Her old friend puts her in the hands of two Hunters, who aren’t exactly pleased to be the ones hunted.





	The Oracle and the Hunter

**Author's Note:**

> This was only meant to be a short drabble for Gencyweek day 7 - Camellia (My Destiny is in Your Hands), but it kinda got out of hand, so here we are! 
> 
> You can find the rest of my fics/drabbles for the week [here on my tumblr](http://emiza.tumblr.com/tagged/Gencyweek3)!
> 
> This fic was greatly inspired by ancient Greece and Rome, but I decided to write a more fantasy-setting and include some magic and stuff instead of a historical AU. There's some mythological monsters, some people who hunt them, and everything in-between! :)
> 
> This isn't beta-read, so all mistakes are on me.
> 
> Please enjoy!

The tavern smelled like mead and sweat, of a strange wilderness that Angela wasn’t used to. Men like these, who were sitting at the tables with dirty clothes and breaths reeking of alcohol, would’ve never been allowed into the palace.

She pressed closer to Fareeha, tugging at the cloth of the veil hiding her hair and most of her face, as if it could turn her invisible.

“Remember what I told you,” Fareeha whispered to her, maneuvering between the full tables and drunken men as if she was used to such a thing. Perhaps things would’ve gone smoother, easier, if Fareeha had worn her uniform. People tended to part for her then. But that would’ve also given them away and it would’ve killed the small lead they had.

The emperor had yet to realize what had happened. And when he did, they’d better be far from the city or her one chance at freedom would’ve been lost.

“I remember,” Angela answered, voice only a breath.

At the back of the tavern, in a corner with a view of the front door as well as the one in the back, sat two men with their backs to the wall. Looking out over the tavern. Fareeha headed over to them without hesitation, Angela struggling to follow and keeping a firm grip on her friend’s sleeve.

“It’s been a while,” Fareeha began, sitting down in one of the empty chairs. When Angela didn’t move, she tugged out the other chair for her to sit down on. Which she did, hands folding nervously in her lap as she tried not to look threatening.

The two men nodded at them, a hint of respect in their movement, and Angela did a double-take as she caught sight if their eyes. Of the tattoos flickering in the candle light, magic running just beneath their skin.

Not men.

_Hunters_.

She suppressed a shiver, pressing closer to Fareeha. The guard couldn’t be serious, could she? She couldn’t possibly be so cruel.

“Ten years if I recall correctly,” one of the Hunters spoke, his voice a pleasant drawl. Eyes glimmering a feral gold. “What have you been up to? Licking the fanciest boots in the empire?”

“I don’t need to lick any boots,” Fareeha hissed back, voice dangerously low. “And I don’t have much time for your bullshit, Jesse.”

“Right, right,” Jesse muttered, waving a hand dismissively. “You said something about making good on that debt. Whatcha got for me?”

Fareeha glanced over at the other Hunter, the one who had been watching in silence. Eyes a dark brown, could’ve passed for human, but the soft green glow running down his arm in the shape of a snake, no a _dragon_ , gave him away. A dangerous one, Angela knew just from the way Fareeha’s fingers rested on the hilt of the dagger hidden in her sleeve. Suddenly, Angela wished she’d been given a weapon too.

“Not a _what_ ,” Fareeha said, voice almost drowning in the noise around them, leaning forward a bit over the table and forcing Jesse to do the same. “A _who_. I need you to smuggle her over the border. _Alive_.”

Jesse’s gaze slid over to Angela and she forced herself not to shrink back. She had seen worse things than the stare of a Hunter. Although, never in person.

“Her?” He huffed out a breath of a laughter. “She looks like a noble. What did she do to piss of the emperor?” A pause, a feral grin towards Fareeha. “I’m guessing she did _something_ bad, otherwise you wouldn’t go to these lengths to get her out.”

“What she did doesn’t matter,” Fareeha said, keeping her voice even. “The _why_ and the _what_ doesn’t matter. All you need to do is get her over the border, alive and safe, and we’re even.”

Jesse gave a soft disapproving hum, leaning back a bit in his chair. Arms crossing over his chest, a hint of metal through his ripped sleeve. Runes of power etched into the material. “Now, I like to know what kind of trouble I’m heading into.”

The silent Hunter snorted and Fareeha narrowed her eyes. “Since when? Last I knew, you headed straight in without a plan. Cost you that arm.”

“Since just now,” Jesse answered nonchalantly. Gaze falling on Angela again. “She seems really important. Guess the emperor will put a hefty sum on her head.”

“Which is why we don’t have time.”

Fareeha kept Jesse’s gaze, held it in that strange way that only she could. Hard as steel, it always made the guards below her in rank tremble with fear. And seeing as she was head of the royal guard, few were above her. Yet her stare only made Jesse grin, slowly shaking his head.

“I do this and the debt is paid.”

Fareeha nodded once.

“You can’t contact me again unless _you_ wanna owe _me_.”

“If that is the terms,” Fareeha pulled out her knife in a single, quick movement, slicing her palm. Blood quickly pooled over her skin and Angela winced at the sight. The knife was held out to Jesse, who took it and mimicked Fareeha. Then, with blood on their skin, they clasped each other’s hand.

“That is the terms,” Jesse said. “And never shall they be broken.”

“I will hold onto them until a new deal is struck,” Fareeha finished, “or until Death claims me.”

They released each other’s hand and Fareeha quickly pulled out a piece of cloth to wipe her hand, before tugging on some gloves. The whole deal-making wasn’t something new; Angela had seen the ancient ritual performed many times over. The emperor had a thing for binding his highest officers and generals by blood. Easier to control any uprising that way and if he could’ve, he would’ve bound Angela as well. The only thing protecting her was the same power that granted her the gift of seeing the future, and no emperor stood above that.

Fareeha stood up from the table, resting a hand on Angela’s shoulder for only a moment. “These two will help you or Death will claim them early.” A small smile tugged at her lips. “Please don’t make it difficult for them.”

Angela looked up at her friend, blinking back tears. Heart beating too fast in her chest. They were really doing this then. No backing out now. “I promise.”

“Good.” Fareeha gave a sharp nod, then turned back to Jesse. “Send me an eagle once she’s safe.”

Jesse only grinned back at her, wiping his bloody hand on his coat. “Oh, you’ll know when the deal is fulfilled.” A pause. “But I’ll send an eagle, if it’ll make you sleep at night.”

With a huff and a last look at Angela, Fareeha walked away, soon disappearing in the crowd. Angela would’ve tried to look after her longer, if Jesse and the other Hunter hadn’t stood up as well. When she only looked at them, Jesse sighed.

“Come on then.”

The Hunters continued to move, the silent one keeping an eye on her as she scrambled up from her chair to follow. They didn’t walk through the crowd, choosing the back door instead. It took them out into an alleyway, stinking of piss and puke, and there lied a man unconscious in a corner, a half-empty mug of mead next to him.

The silent Hunter gently touched her arm to keep her moving.

They led her through the sleepy streets, lit up only occasionally by fires flickering through open windows. The Hunters seemed to blend into the shadows around them and Angela felt too exposed in her white silks and thin sandals, stumbling on the uneven cobblestones. She could almost feel the irritation radiating from them, at how slow she was compared to them, yet they didn’t say a single word as they walked through the city. And so, Angela didn’t complain either.

This was about life or death, after all.

Only when she could feel blisters on her heels and she’d stumbled and hit her toes so many times she had lost count, did they stop at a stable, hidden away between two larger houses. It looked ready to collapse, but the horses inside looked strong and well fed.

“Stay here,” Jesse murmured, so low that Angela almost didn’t hear and almost stumbled after him. She probably would’ve anyway, afraid that they’d leave her despite the deal made, if the silent one hadn’t stayed behind with her.

A hand resting on the sword he carried by his side. Eyes flickering as he watched for danger around them. Acting as a guard, yet she couldn’t decide if she felt safer with him by her side or not.

They didn’t speak, and Angela tugged at the fabric of the veil still covering her hair, trying to make sure that none of it could be seen. If she was recognized, while still being within the city walls, nothing good would come out of it.

A few minutes later, Jesse returned, tugging a single horse along. It was packed lightly, the saddle empty, and it looked large and strong and utterly terrifying to someone who had never been close to one before. So when Jesse motioned for Angela to get up in that saddle, she took a step back, shaking her head.

“I can’t do that,” she whispered. “I’ve never ridden before.”

Jesse shared a look with the other Hunter. “What’d I tell you, Genji? Definitely a noble.”

The other Hunter, Genji if Jesse was to be trusted, only huffed, amusement in his dark eyes.

“It’s not that hard,” Jesse gently gripped Angela’s hand to lead her forward to the horse, and she couldn’t do much in protest if they hoped to keep their low profile. “See, he’s a kind fella. I’ll help you up and then you just sit there.” A pause, a grin with sharp teeth flashed her way. “And try not to fall off.”

Angela could almost feel herself pale, her hands trembling as Jesse helped her up in the saddle; a feat much harder than it seemed, with her long skirts. Jesse noticed it too, clicking his tongue as he corrected the fabric over the horse, helping her sit more comfortably.

“Need to get you some pants once we’re out,” he muttered, scratching his chin. Then he grabbed the reins in a light grip, walking just in front of the horse and leading it out. Genji still kept a close eye on her, probably to make sure that she didn’t fall, and he tensed whenever she did as the horse moved underneath her.

They didn’t comment on her uncomfortableness, and she felt almost blessed as she didn’t have to walk on her own feet anymore. She tried to keep her back straight, tried to look confident, because there was no hiding the white fabric of her clothes, a color that only the wealthy wore. She might as well play the part, hoping that when the emperor discovered her missing, he wouldn’t think to look for a disguise. Or at least, not this kind of disguise.

She kept tense as the Hunters led the way towards the main gate, and even in the middle of the night the road was busy. Traders from far away walked past them, heading deeper into the city to prepare for the morning and to trade their goods, and others were heading out for a long journey home. They blended right in and no one gave them a second glance; two bodyguards with a rich lady on horseback, no doubt heading out before the morning rush.

Yet as they came up to the main gate, Angela couldn’t help but tense up even more, fingers gripping the mane of the horse in a way that must’ve been painful. Gaze flickering to the guards stationed at the gate, to the ones patrolling the wall, to their sharp weapons and sharper eyes. She almost didn’t notice Genji walking up to her side, almost fell out of the saddle in surprise as he rested a hand on her leg. A touch so gentle it almost wasn’t there.

And it was only her luck that they were stopped in that moment.

“Is everything alright, my lady?” A guard stepped in front of them, forcing Jesse to stop the horse. The guard looked up at Angela, a frown marking his features under the helmet, the red plume on top marking him as an officer.

When Angela didn’t immediately answer, too stunned and too fearful for being recognized, the guard’s gaze shifted to the Hunters. His hand moving slowly to the hilt of his sword.

And, she realized with a lie on the tip of her tongue, she couldn’t answer him. If she spoke, someone might recognize. And an officer might’ve spent some time in the palace, might’ve caught a glimpse of her, might’ve heard her speak before. She couldn’t risk it and yet not answering would lead them straight into trouble.

The hand on her leg pressed down, a comfortable weight, before Genji spoke up.

“Our apologies, our lady is still a bit tired from waking up so early.” His voice was crisp and clear, accent just as foreign as Jesse’s but from a different part outside the empire. “We have a long journey ahead of us and we wish to cross the mountain pass before the first snow.”

“Oh!” The guard straightened up a bit, hand falling from his sword, and he looked up at Angela again, giving a small bow that he needed practice on. “My sincerest apologies, my lady. I wish you a safe journey home.”

Angela gave him a short, sharp nod, and he stepped out of the way to let them pass. Jesse wasted no time, clicking his tongue to make the horse move again, and they made their way out of the gates without further incident. They continued down the road, over the bridge of the Silver River, and only when the white walls of the city were far behind them and out of sight, did Angela breathe out in relief.

And yet she knew that this was only the beginning of their journey.

 

*

 

“You told them we were going to the mountain pass,” Angela said once they took a break in the early morning, pieces of bread passed around them. Everything about her seemed to hurt from riding the horse, but it was a small price to pay for her freedom. “It’s in the north, isn’t it?”

There was a pause in their small camp and Genji almost seemed uncomfortable with the attention on him. Jesse, on the other hand, just seemed amused, grinning as he took another bite of his bread.

“Your eyes,” Genji began, paused, shifted a bit. “Blue is common in the north.”

Angela tensed at the mention of her eyes, quickly averting her gaze as if she could hide them from him. She had to swallow once, twice, before she could answer. “But we’re not going there, are we?”

“We’re most certainly not,” Jesse said. “Would be too easy to find you there; the land’s too barren once you pass the mountains. And the roads aren’t safe enough.”

If two Hunters deemed a road too unsafe to travel, then it was not a road Angela wanted to travel down. It was easy to forget who she was traveling with, when they could so easily pass for men.

Nervously, Angela tugged at the veil covering her hair, trying to appear small in the company of two Hunters. If not for the debt Jesse owed Fareeha, if not for the deal they made, they would’ve slain her a long time ago. These two, as _normal_ as they might seem, were more dangerous than the highest officers and generals in the empire, more dangerous than the monsters lurking in the wild. They answered to no emperor or king, called no place home, and carried runes of power etched into their skin where magic of old ran like blood.

They were the stories mothers told their children at night to make them fear the world outside the warmth of their homes.

And Angela, sitting in their presence and with a deal made for her safety and life, was utterly terrified.

“We should get you into some more comfortable clothes,” Jesse spoke, breaking the silence between them. He stood up, going over to the horse to rummage through some of the light packing, before throwing over a pair of pants and a simple shirt to Angela.

She caught the clothes, felt the roughness of the material against her fingers, and held them close to her body. When she didn’t move, Jesse made a shooing gesture towards her.

“Don’t have all day,” he told her, eyebrows raised.

“You just want me to-“ Angela cleared her throat, slowly standing up on wobbly legs. She glanced around them, seeing no cover other than the boulder they had taken shelter against. “Right here?”

“ _Nobles_!” Jesse huffed out a sound that might’ve been a laughter, turning his back to her. There was a pause and he glanced over his shoulder, looking at Genji who was still chewing his piece of the bread. “Genji, show some respect to the modest lady!”

His words made Genji pause, and then, ever so slowly as if he was about to complain any second, he moved until his back was against both Jesse and Angela. Slumping down a bit and resting a hand on the hilt of his sword.

And Angela stood there, clothes held close to her chest, wondering why they were acting as if _she_ was the ridiculous one. Biting her tongue not to mutter an insult they would most likely hear, she quickly let the white dress fall to the ground. The cold spring air quickly surrounded her and she wasted no time getting into the new clothes. They were slightly baggy, most likely made for a man, but they smelled like horse and not much else.

She was just about to redo the veil, even though it would look ridiculous when she wasn’t wearing the matching white dress that marked her as someone rich. Or from the emperor’s palace, but few could notice the difference. And it was then Jesse turned around, huffing out a “you done-“, the words dying on his tongue as he saw her face. Hair falling down her shoulders like molten gold, eyes wide as she met his.

“You’re an Orcale,” he whispered, just a breath, and yet Genji whipped around as quickly as a striking snake. Jesse tugged at his hat, angling it back a bit as if to see her better, as if she’d change right before his eyes. “Shit. You’re _The Oracle_.”

Genji was deadly still on the ground, hand still resting on his sword. His eyes following her every movement.

And Angela didn’t know what to say, because she most definitely was the Oracle, and she’d made enough appearances by the emperor’s side to be known to most. So she took a deep breath and let it out in a sharp sigh. “You made a deal with Fareeha. You can’t break it.”

Curses fell from Jesse’s lips, some in tongues Angela had never heard before, and then he gestured towards her while looking over at Genji. “See? This is why I wanted to know what we were dealing with before I accepted that deal! You know what’s gonna happen?!” A pause, golden eyes turning to Angela. “The emperor will find out you’re gone and he’ll come hunting after _us_! And I don’t appreciate being _hunted_.”

Angela straightened her back, refused to appear weak now that the truth was out. Her heart was beating too fast in her chest and she might’ve felt like fainting would’ve been a second good option, but she stood her ground. And if they wanted the truth, then she might as well give it to them, else they find it out later and make it worse for her.

“Fareeha made you help me because I saw something,” she said, voice sounding just a bit weaker than she wanted. But her words made both of the Hunters tense, and they of anyone knew the importance, the power, of her gift. “Something that the emperor would not like to know. Something that put me in great danger.”

“And what,” Jesse said, speaking slowly as to a child, taking slow steps forward. “What exactly did you see?”

A deep breath, chin raised, and she looked into feral gold. “I saw his assassination.”

Genji stood up, didn’t do it slowly and yet Angela didn’t feel threatened. If they wanted her dead, she would’ve been a cold corpse a long time ago, and so would they for breaking a deal made in blood. At least, that’s what she tried to reassure herself with.

“He is the emperor,” Genji spoke, almost spitting out the title. “Surely you must’ve seen his death many times over.”

And of course Angela had seen his death many, many times. There were many who wanted to end his life, many who had tried, and she’d woken in cold sweat more times than she could count, having seen his death. And every time, she’d been forced to tell the guards at her side so that they might prevent the future. To kill the chef’s daughter who was going to put poison into the food delivered to the emperor, to snuff out the rebellion awakening in the farmer’s small home, to slaughter the infant wailing in his mother’s arms because he would one day grow up to become the lucky assassin to take the emperor’s life.

“It’s different this time.”

The two Hunters paused, shared a look, and Jesse gave a heavy sigh. “Different how? Can’t prevent it?” A pause, a sharp grin on his lips as he looked her over as if in a new light. “Or perhaps you don’t wanna?”

“It’s different,” Angela repeated, refused to say more. She’d heard the rumors of how a Hunter never spoke of secrets, but she couldn’t trust them. Not with the whole truth, only enough to protect her life.

The Hunters looked at her, then Genji gave a sharp nod, hand falling from his sword. Jesse seemed to visibly relax at that, tugging at his hat, before he gave a simple shrug.

“Guess we should be on our way then,” he said, holding out a hand to help Angela back into the horse. “Better keep the dogs off our trail for as long as we can.”

 

*

 

They rode on small roads for the rest of the morning, avoiding the main ones and the guards patrolling there. At their short pause at midday, to allow Angela to eat something as she was the only one who seemed used to more than two meals a day, Genji approached her.

His close presence made Angela tense up, holding her dried meat almost protectively out of his reach. At her motion, he held up his empty hands, covered in gloves of smooth leather.

"We’ll be heading out on the main road soon,” he said, voice soft. “You’ll be recognized.”

“The veil-“ Angela began, but Genji shook his head. She frowned at him, because the veil was her best shot at disguise, even though the white fabric was easily spotted and didn’t match her current clothes in the least. If anything, it’d look stolen, or bought for money she definitely didn’t have. And, alright, perhaps the veil wasn’t the best idea.

“We can’t do much about your eyes,” he continued, moving a bit closer to crouch down just in front of her. Their gazes met and Angela found that she couldn’t look away at first, had to force herself to avert her gaze as he spoke again. “If we did something with your hair…”

“Gonna need a lot more than just change her hair,” Jesse called helpfully from the horse, hand resting at its side. “Throw in some runes while you’re at it.”

Genji nodded at that, looking thoughtful as he flicked out a knife out from nowhere. Angela shouldn’t have been surprised at that, shouldn’t have flinched at the sight, not when she was used to Fareeha hiding weapons all over her person as well. Came with the occupation.

“Wait, _runes_?” Angela’s voice was more alike a squeak. “Aren’t only Hunters allowed to wear those? Aren’t you the only ones who can?”

“Anyone with a Connection to the Gods can wear them.” Genji shrugged, as if it was obvious. “I’d like to think that you qualify.”

Any response that Angela might’ve had died on her tongue, and she blinked at Genji in silence. Had that been _humor_ in his voice? And then his words began to sink in, and her frown deepened as she looked him over. She even glanced over at Jesse, as if it could prove her thought.

“But,” she began, speaking slowly and not completely sure how to put the words right. “Haven’t Hunters killed their Gods?”

The silence that fell seemed to press onto her skin and she shifted under their gazes, Genji’s eyes a bit wide, Jesse looking as if it was the worst accusation he’d ever heard. And perhaps it was, Angela realized, sinking back a bit into herself.

“We don’t hunt Gods,” Genji spoke, just as slow as she did, something firm in his voice. As if it was important that she understood her mistake. “And we don’t slay them.”

Jesse took a step forward, crouching down just out of her reach to meet her eye. “Is it a rumor you’ve heard or something you’ve seen?”

She had to swallow once, twice, before she could answer. “It’s what they say at the palace.”

“They seem to talk a lot of shit there,” Jesse muttered, scratching his chin and he looked to be in deep thought. Genji simply remained still, eyes on Angela, wearing a small frown that was barely noticeable. “Better forget what you’ve heard. Let us prove you right or wrong instead.”

When she nodded at that, Jesse rose again to return to the horse, back towards them as he petted the animal. Genji remained silent for a little while longer, seemed to look her over and make a judgement, before he gave a soft sigh and reached for her hair.

She stilled at his touch, so light that she might not have felt it if she hadn’t known it was there, and let him tie her hair up in a simple updo. A few strands falling to frame her face. Then he reached for her right arm, the leather of his gloves soft on her skin, and he pressed the tip of the blade against the inside of her forearm. With sharp, precise movements, he wrote runes upon her skin, leaving a thin trail of blood down to her wrist. He didn’t let a single drop of blood fall though, not even from the knife, as he quickly bent his head down to her arm.

At first, she thought he would suck her blood, then she remembered that they hunted beasts like that. And they were not those they hunted. Probably. She had a lot to unlearn from the palace, from the poisonous rumors that were spread behind backs, the things she had heard the nights she couldn’t sleep. Some from her very own guards.

Words were whispered against her pale skin instead, words so ancient that she shouldn’t have understood them. Yet she felt them light up the freshly made runes, felt magic awaken in the lines, a feeling like water washing over her. Soft waves lapping at her arms, her shoulders, her neck, until she took a deep breath and was swallowed whole.

“We borrow our powers from the Gods. Sometimes they are gifted,” Genji murmured, words only for her to hear, as he straightened up. Dark eyes meeting hers. “The runes capture that power, allowing a more steady flow.” His clothed fingers traced over the already healed runes and Angela felt herself shiver at the touch. “These are for protection. To keep curious eyes away.”

With the shadow of a smile on his lips, Genji released her arm and stood up, knife disappearing just as quickly as it was drawn. And Angela stared after him, let out a shaky breath once he turned to Jesse. She pressed her fingers to her chest, felt her heart beat too fast, too sure.

Fareeha had truly been too cruel.

 

*

 

They entered the main road a bit into the afternoon. It was busy, compared to the small ones that few traveled, and they passed traders with horses pulling wagons of their wares, farmers who tugged along cows of every size, and patrols of guards who were talking and joking with each other.

And no one cast Angela or the Hunters a second glance.

 

*

 

_A bridge of stone._

_Water running underneath, painted golden in the morning sun._

_A group of guards, the insignia of the emperor upon their chests, swords drawn and eyes on her._

_Blood painting her skin, something sharp in her stomach, and she was falling-_

Gasping for breath, she sat upright, hand on her chest as if it could stop her beating heart. The light from the campfire cast strange shadows around her and she tried to focus on their shape, the warmth, anchoring herself back to reality. Slowly, she regained her steady breath, her heart slowing down as the danger passed.

Across the campfire, Genji shifted. Sword across his lap, whetstone in hand. Dark eyes on her. “Dream or vision?”

“Vision,” she answered, voice but a breath. “They know I’m gone. The emperor has sent word.” A pause and she had to swallow before she continued. “In the morning, we will come to a bridge. A golden river. Guards will be waiting there. They’ll know me.”

He nodded once, picking up the motion of sharpening his sword again. “Is it avoidable?”

The laughter that escaped her was almost embarrassing, and she pulled up her legs to her chest, wrapping her arms around them as if she could protect herself that way. “Might be. Didn’t feel like it was set in stone. Should be easy to change, if we do it right.”

A pause, Genji remaining silent. The flames making the runes on the sword glow red.

“Some visions are certain. They can’t be changed, no matter how much you try, and sometimes trying to change them is what leads you to it.” A soft sigh, Angela resting her chin on the top of her knees. “But those are rare. I’ve only had a handful over the years.”

Genji stilled once more, head tilting slightly to the side as he looked her over. “Your visions aren’t always certain?”

“The future is uncertain in itself. The smallest of things can change it,” Angela answered with a shrug. “The visions I receive are only the most possible versions of the future, and they can be changed. Take a different road. Cross the bridge earlier. Bribe the officer. Kill them before they kill us.”

Genji met her gaze and Angela was the one who looked away first. She’d already said enough.

 

*

 

They crossed the bridge made of stone an hour before sunrise, the water not yet painted gold. There was a lone guard standing watch, and he greeted them with a yawn as they paid the fee of crossing.

Only when they’d passed, river flowing fast beneath them, did guards wearing the insignia of the emperor on their chest appear, talking with the bridge guard in hushed voices. A scroll with the emperor’s seal handed over to the confused guard.

None of them caring about those who had already crossed.

 

*

 

There were more guards on the roads after that, the fees of passing over bridges rising, longer stares on Angela before they turned their gazes elsewhere.

Every day, Genji would make her hair; braids and more elaborate updos, flowers picked from the road tucked behind an ear. Styles not of the empire, but from somewhere beyond. Jesse eyed them each morning with a grin on his lips, but whenever Genji raised an eyebrow at his silly expression, he would simply shake his head and look away.

Angela didn’t understand their silent conversations, but she liked the way Genji did her hair, and so she didn’t complain. And, she guessed, there was something special in the way he would remove his gloves to drag his fingers through her hair, sometimes brushing her neck in a way that would make her shiver.

No, Angela had no complaints at all.

 

*

 

The weather held on for the first three weeks, the sun almost unbearable and making freckles appear across Angela’s nose.

She’d never spent this much time outside, always locked up tight in the palace and always with a servant close-by to keep her in shadow and hydrated during the warmer season. Fareeha always fussed about her as well, keeping a close eye on her, as if the Sun Goddess herself would come down and slay her if the guard wasn’t careful enough. Not that Angela blamed her; a lot of people wanted her dead. Perhaps not as many as those who wanted the emperor to take his last breath, but Angela was his Oracle. The one who could see the future and the emperor did everything to prevent the futures that weren’t to his advantage.

She couldn’t count how many times she’d prevented the emperor’s death, how many times she’d been the reason why the emperor won every war he waged, how many times someone had seen the path to the empire’s fall through her death.

There was a reason why Fareeha was at her side at all times. Why she was her best friend, her only friend.

And she was starting to trust Fareeha’s decision of leaving her with the two Hunters more and more.

They weren’t really that bad, after spending some time with them, and even when the weather turned and the sky opened up, they didn’t complain. The smaller roads they’d taken to avoid the growing patrols of guards weren’t laid in stone, and the rain turned them into mud that the horse sometimes struggled to move through. Jesse kept a tight grip on the reins though and a steady hand on the horse, leading it through the worst of it.

Genji walked by her other side, seemingly unbothered by the rain that plastered his hair to his skin and made his many layers of clothes and armor cling to his body. He walked on, continuing his explanation about the differences of the runes on his weapons. Angela listened with interest, trying her best to remember what he said, guessing that it might be good to remember the difference between a fire rune and one of power.

“Here,” Genji said, holding up a knife for her to take, its sheath decorated in a style from outside the empire. She took it hesitantly, the light weight unfamiliar in her hands. She held it close to her body, trying to cover it from the rain, as she slowly pulled out the knife. It was made from a light-colored metal, a single rune carved near the handle. “That’s a rune for Wind.”

“Wind?” Angela tilted her head slightly to the side, squinting a bit as if to see the blade better.

“For speed and lightness,” Genji explained, hand resting briefly at the horse’s side as they tracked through even more mud. “Trust it and it will lead your strike true.”

Hesitating once more, Angela sheathed the knife, holding it back out to Genji. “I’m sorry. I can’t.”

“Why?” If Angela hadn’t watched Genji, she would’ve missed the small falter in his steps. He didn’t sound angry though, only curious.

“I’m an Oracle,” Angela answered, a small huff at the end. When Genji kept watching her with curiosity, and even Jesse glanced back at her, she let out a small sigh. “I can’t use a knife. I’ve never learnt how to fight.”

There was a pause, and then Jesse pulled the horse to a stop, its hooves slowly sinking down in the mud.

“Fighting is the first an Oracle learns,” Jesse said, eyes narrowing under his hat that slumped slightly with the rain. “Your eyes and gift are too valuable. In the wrong hands-”

“I know,” Angela cut off, needing no more reminder just how important she was. Just what some people would do to carve her eyes out and eat them whole, simply because of what she was, of the gift that ran through her blood. She had just been lucky that she was more valuable to the emperor alive. “But I’ve been protected my whole life. There was never any need to learn.”

“There is now,” Jesse muttered, tilting his hat a bit and letting most of the rainwater drip down. “You’ll be hunted for the rest of your life. If not by the emperor, then by everything else that’s dangerous in this world.”

Genji nodded slowly, gently pushing the knife back into her hands, wrapping her fingers around it.

“I’ll teach you.”

 

*

 

The rain held up for a whole day and when they passed a small village, nothing more than a few houses and a tavern for travelers, they decided to stay the night. It felt like a blessing, to sleep in a bed again, no matter how hard the mattress and how rough the blanket was against her skin.

They shared a room, for safety and to save the coin the Hunters carried.

And in that room, with the rain pouring down outside, Genji began to teach her how to use the knife she’d been given. With a firm hand and gentle fingers he corrected her grip, corrected the way she stood, the way she moved.

True to his word, the knife was light and allowed her to strike fast and true, and Genji showed her how to defend and how to attack. A symphony of metal against metal echoing in the room.

Jesse watched them lazily from one of the beds, throwing in a comment here and there. “Move your feet,” and “keep your grip light.”

And there, in a small room in a tavern in the middle of nowhere, with rain pouring down outside, with her body aching after weeks on the road, she felt happier than she had in a very, very long time.

 

*

 

They returned to the road in the morning, and with the sun shining through the clouds, Angela chose to walk instead of riding. The smaller roads were still muddy, coating her feet and all but ruining her sandals, but walking allowed her and Genji to continue her training. Footwork getting quicker as he told her to avoid the small rocks on the ground, trying occasionally to trip her and she’d fallen into the mud enough times to work harder to avoid his quick feet.

The days started to blur together after that, turning into training and two meals a day and dreamless sleep at night. There were even days she forgot that she was hunted, blissful moments of a promise of what could’ve been.

What could be.

 

*

 

“You’re getting good with the knife,” Jesse remarked one afternoon after they’d crossed a bridge and spent their last coin. “Should teach you some other weapons as well. Give you some options.”

Genji nodded eagerly at that, excitement sparkling in his eyes as he looked over at Angela. “I can teach you how to wield a sword!”

“Perhaps throwing knives,” Jesse hummed, looking her over with a critical eye. “Or a bow.”

“My brother is better with a bow,” Genji huffed back, almost defensively. “She should be taught by the best.”

Angela rolled her eyes at their small bickering, biting her lower lip to not laugh at them. She’d gotten used to them both being more vocal around her, letting their guards down. As if she was one of them. The very thought made something flutter in her chest and she smiled, head tilting slightly to the side as Genji started to gesture to the smaller sword at his side.

“There’s no better marksman than me!” Jesse huffed. “They don’t call me _Deadeye_ for nothin’-“

Angela blinked.

_Talons the size of her forearm._

_A beak, sharp and open wide in a screech._

_Wings with white feathers spread across a bright blue sky._

_Descending upon them._

Another blink, and she found herself meeting Genji’s worried eyes. His hands hovering just above her arms, as if he wanted to touch her but was unsure if he could. She blinked a few more times, trying to regain her focus.

“Angela,” he spoke, voice low and so warm that she leaned into his hovering hands, letting him touch her skin, anchoring her in the moment. “What did you see?”

“A beast,” she answered, responding without hesitation. “One I’ve only seen in paintings.”

Jesse took a step forward, still hanging just behind Genji. A secure grip on the reins of the horse. “What did it look like?”

“Large. White wings.” Angela closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. “Sharp talons and the beak of an eagle. Yet it wasn’t a bird. Not fully.”

Genji and Jesse both nodded at that, turning to meet each other’s eye. “Griffin.”

“Did you see when?” Genji prompted, thumb slowly moving over her arm, rubbing small circles over her skin.

“I don’t know,” Angela answered. “The sky was blue, not a cloud in sight.”

The two Hunters glanced up at the still cloudy sky.

“The sky shouldn’t clear until tomorrow,” Jesse muttered, scratching his chin in thought. “Should give us plenty of time.”

Genji kept Angela’s gaze for a moment longer, just a heartbeat, then let his hands drop and took half a step back. He nodded once, a cool determination hardening his eyes.

“Tomorrow, we’ll hunt.”

 

*

 

They didn’t have much to go on other than Angela’s vision, and she’d made it clear to them that it wasn’t one of the certain ones. Only a possible version of the future, and there was a chance that they’d not cross paths with a griffin at all.

At least, she held on to that. Genji gave her a stick from the side of the road the next morning and instructed that she wasn’t to let go of it, as part of the training. Angela took it very seriously, hoping that she’d be taught how to use a blade somewhat longer than the knife. It was good for killing, she didn’t doubt that, but against a fully armed guard of the empire, and especially against a monstrous beast, a knife wasn’t the most ideal weapon.

But what did she know. Fareeha and the Hunters were covered in knives, hidden everywhere on their body, could be drawn with a single flick of their wrist. And she didn’t doubt that those knives had saved their lives more than once.

Perhaps she should start a collection instead.

It was in the early afternoon that they came across a village. Normally at this time of the day, there would be people milling around, attending their business and fields. Yet there was no sign of anyone, the doors firmly closed and windows barred. Even the empire guard that should be stationed there, looking for her, was missing.

“Where are everyone?” Angela wondered out loud and Genji held up a hand for her to fall silent. She did exactly so, trusting the Hunter’s judgement, standing completely still to not make a single sound.

Jesse met her eye briefly, making a gesture towards the sky.

A bright blue sky, without a cloud in sight.

A curse left her lips, only a breath, and she could see the edges of Genji’s lips tug into a smile. He made a few gestures towards her, as if he was speaking, and she only blinked back without understanding. He blinked at her, then turned towards Jesse instead, carrying out a silent conversation with only their hands.

The horse began to step restlessly by her side. It seemed almost nervous, huffing at her and tearing at the reins. Jesse only held tighter, a frown crossing his expression and a few, sharp motions were sent Genji’s way.

Angela gripped her stick tighter, glancing upwards. The sun, bright at this time of day and season, made it hard to see and she lifted a hand to shield her vision.

And saw the shadow cross the blue.

The beast was monstrous in size, talons the size of her forearm, a sharp beak open in a screech that seemed to rattle her bones, seemed to make her very soul shiver. Its wings spread wide over the infinite blue above, white feathers like a streak of a paintbrush.

Descending upon them.

And for a moment, only a moment, Angela froze in fear. But in that moment, time seemed to slow down. Eyes wide, heart hammering in her chest so hard it hurt, fist clenching around the stick she’d been given and she knew it couldn’t do anything against those talons and that beak. She met its gaze, dark and crazed. Mind of a beast, but with the intelligence of something far more dangerous.

Everything after that happened so fast.

In the next heartbeat, Genji was in front of her, sword drawn and runes glowing a faint green. Mirroring the green glow of his arm where his tattoo seemed to move like water, like a ribbon in the wind, like _life_.

The griffin didn’t slow its descent, intent on taking its prey. There was a rush of wind and Angela found she couldn’t look away, couldn’t blink, and Genji angled his blade, ready to drive it through the beast-

A rush of wind, silent as Death. An arrow etched itself deep in the griffin’s eye and with a screech of pain and fury in a way that only a beast could sound, it veered off, crashing to the ground. It was quickly back on its paws again, tail flicking from side to side. Blood gushed down its cheek, down its beak, coloring the white feathers crimson.

“Told ya!” Jesse called from the side, short bow in his hands and another arrow already nocked. “I never miss!”

“Only because we held its attention!” Genji shot back, glancing over at Jesse as if the griffin wasn’t still alive, beating its wings in threat. “’sides, Hanzo would’ve killed it in one shot.”

“He wouldn’t!”

“He would!”

Jesse grumbled something that sounded like gibberish, shooting another arrow as the griffin started to get closer to them. It swatted the arrow away with ease, its gaze falling on Angela.

“Remind me to challenge him again next time we see him,” Jesse called, drawing a handful of arrows and shooting them in rapid succession. The griffin tried once again to bat them away, succeeded with two, the third biting into the muscle of its wing.

The griffin screeched, rising up on its hind legs, just at the moment that their horse had enough. With a wail, it tore itself from Jesse’s loosened grip, turning on its hooves and galloping away as if its life depended on it.

The two Hunters turned back to the griffin, Genji moving as quick as a shadow, striking the beast the moment it landed on its talons again, ducking under a swooping wing and blocking the sharp beak with a knife in his left hand. As silent as Jesse’s arrows, he cut into feathers and flesh, sending a river of blood down the front.

A moment later, the beast stilled.

Its head falling to the ground with a heavy _thump_.

Only a few drops of blood coating Genji’s sleeves, dripping down his sword without leaving a trail behind.

He sheathed his sword, walking back up to Angela with quick strides. Worry in his gaze. And yet, all Angela could do was look at the dead griffin. Her breath coming out short and shallow.

“It’s alright,” Genji spoke, hand coming up to brush away a lose strand of her hair, tugging it behind an ear. “The griffin is dead.”

“The horse,” Angela began, swallowed tried again as she pointed to where the horse had run off to with the stick she still held in a firm grip. “It ran.”

“It sure did,” Jesse huffed to the side, walking up to the griffin corpse to pull out the arrows to be cleaned and used again. “With all our packs, not that we had much. Tell you, they don’t breed ‘em like they used to. A Hunter’s horse would never run from danger.”

Genji hummed in agreement, looking at where the horse had taken off. There was no sign of it, having run down a hill. “No use chasing after it.”

His hand fell down to his side and Angela reached for him before he could move away. He paused, all his attention on her, and she met his gaze. Swallowed, tried to find her voice.

“Thank you,” she said, voice but a whisper. “For saving me. I froze, I don’t-“ A pause, a sharp breath. “I don’t know why.”

“We all freeze at our first,” Genji mumbled, voice gentle, words soothing. Fingers brushing by her arm where runes glowed softly. “If you’d had more training, if you’d been a Hunter, we would’ve let you have this first kill.”

The way he said that made her frown ever so slightly, head tilting slightly to the side. There was no reason why they’d put her in danger, letting her kill a griffin of all things, all on her own. Unless-

“Does it mean something? The first kill?”

Genji paused, giving her that small smile he always wore whenever she asked about Hunters, asked about him. “It means everything. Our first kill defines who we are, what kind of Hunter we will become. We draw our power from it; it’s the source of our Connection.”

“So anyone can become a Hunter?” She asked, glancing over at the griffin. She missed the way he looked at her, searching for something in her eyes.

“You have no reason to,” he said instead. “You’re already an Oracle.”

A pause, Angela closing her eyes, nodding slowly and not for the first time wondering if it was truly such a gift that everyone claimed.

 

*

 

They were offered shelter that evening in the village, the villagers celebrating with what little they had over the griffin’s death. The Hunters were paid in coin of gold, coin that would’ve gone to the emperor’s treasury if the emperor guard hadn’t been eaten by the griffin a week before. And the villagers were happy to pay their saviors.

A mug of dark mead was pushed into Angela’s hands and she politely took a sip, even though she was more used to the fruity taste fine wine. Jesse laughed at her scrunched up face, elbowing her right side before downing his mug easily. She huffed out a laugh at his display, handing him her mug instead of letting it go to waste.

“Rare to see Hunters this far out,” one of the men spoke up from across the fire, speaking loudly to be heard over the cheery music some younger women had picked up. “Last we saw went by at least ten years ago.”

“We’d given up hope,” a woman chimed in, accent heavy. “We sent word to the emperor, tried to talk to the guard they posted here but…” she gave a shrug, lifting her mug of mead. “No luck there. They were looking for someone, didn’t have the _time or resources_ to help us.”

She clicked her tongue and the villagers chimed in with their displeasure.

Angela blinked at them, confused at how open they were in their hate over the emperor. The one who ruled over their lives, the one who had won their homeland through bloodshed seen through visions she’d been forced to tell him. If they hated the emperor so openly, then she wondered what they’d do to her if they found out.

What they’d do to the Hunters when they stepped in to protect her.

She quickly averted her gaze, kept it on the flame, and pressed closer to Genji’s side to her left. He stilled for a moment, then leaned back into her as well. A confident warmth against her.

“I’ve heard rumors,” an older man spoke up, wearing the sign of a seasoned trader on his sleeve. He kept his stare firmly on the fire, the flames reflecting in his dark eyes. “Don’t know if they’re true or not, but it isn’t just anybody that they’re looking for.” A pause, for effect more than anything, and he lifted his gaze and let it swipe over the crowd around the fire. “The Oracle has fled the palace.”

Angela froze, felt her breath catch, and if Genji hadn’t gripped her hand and held it, she would’ve done something stupid. He gently intertwined their fingers, keeping her in place, a silent promise in the way he squeezed her hand.

“The Oracle isn’t by the emperor’s side?” One of the villagers stood up, arms spread wide. “Do you know what this means? He is _vulnerable_! No one is there to warn him anymore!”

“It makes him dangerous.”

There was a pause, the music coming to an abrupt halt, and all eyes turned to her. It took a moment for her to realize she’d spoken out loud and she felt her cheeks warm. And yet Angela raised her gaze in defiance. Flickering flames reflected in strong blue.

“He’s lived a comfortable life,” she continued, voice unwavering and sure. “He came to power with the Oracle by his side. He doesn’t know how to make decisions without her. It’ll make him irrational. Harsh. In the end, even desperate.”

A man huffed at that. “You’re saying he was less dangerous with her by his side? Whispering the future in his ear?!”

“Less dangerous then,” Angela met his gaze, feeling like steel. The runes on her arm burning. “More vulnerable now.”

There was a pause, a shift in the air, and then the man averted his eye. The music slowly picked up again and the cheery tune returned, people making plans now that the griffin was dead.

Through the rest of the night, Angela held Genji’s hand and refused to meet his eye.

 

*

 

They returned to the main road the next day, walking a bit faster now without the need to care for a horse as well, their packing lighter. She still didn’t know exactly where they were going, which border they were heading for, but she trusted the Hunters.

And there was something else on her mind, her gaze focused on the soft glow of green crawling down Genji’s arm. She had seen it move, had seen it come alive upon his skin, but now it rested in stillness.

When the sun reached its highest point in the sky, Genji walked a bit closer to her, shifting her grip a bit on the stick she still held. Fingers gentle, his presence warm by her side.

“Is it bothering you?” He asked then, voice low for only her to hear. She blinked up at him, lips parting to answer, and then she shook her head no. It made Genji frown ever so slightly, confusion in his dark eyes.

“No, I’m just trying to figure out how,” Angela answered after a moment’s silence. “When you fought that griffin, the ink on your arm moved. Is that normal?”

Jesse must’ve heard them because just ahead of them, he burst out laughing, quickly covering up the sound with a cough. Even Genji smiled at her question, tugging down the fabric he kept wrapped around most of his arm, to make the tattoo less eye-catching. And he showed her the swirl of the tail, the way the body twisted around his arm, its jaws open at his wrist. The faint glow rippling through its body, even now giving the illusion of movement.

“After our first hunt, we ink our skin with the blood of the beast we’ve slain,” he explained, letting Angela reach up to run her fingers over the dragon with gentle fingers, watching how the glow seemed to follow her touch. “It is how we are connected to the Gods; by binding their First Children to ourselves.”

“So you don’t hunt the Gods,” Angela whispered, humor in her voice as she withdrew her hand. “But you hunt their children?”

Genji huffed, the beginning of a laughter on his lips. “Only the First and only those that bring harm to others.”

It made her pause, a small falter in her steps that she quickly tried to cover up. Genji wouldn’t have missed it, but he didn’t mention it as she cleared her throat and averted her gaze. Both of those things applied to her. She was one of their First Children; blessed with the gift of foresight, to see the future for what it might be and what it will undoubtedly become. And she of anyone had brought harm to others, perhaps not directly, but through her words.

Wars had been waged because of her visions.

She couldn’t even count the lives that had ended because of her.

“My first kill was a dragon of the east,” Genji said, interrupting her thoughts. He kept his gaze on the road ahead, and the way he chose his words seemed to tell that he didn’t speak of this often. “They’re known for their swiftness and ferocity, unlike the fire-breathing kind that went extinct a century ago in the north. My brother killed one as well, we hunted together.” A pause, a quick glance at her. “Despite him by my side, I was still terrified. There are many who die on their first hunt.”

“It sounds hard,” Angela whispered back, letting the stick bump into the larger rocks in the road as they walked. “To choose a beast that’ll define you and yet that won’t kill you before you can kill it.”

There was a soft chuckle and Genji covered up his arm again. “It was certainly not the easiest decision in my life.”

“And Jesse?” Angela asked, couldn’t help herself, looking over at the Hunter in front of them who pretended not to listen to their conversation. “What was your first?”

The Hunter turned slightly to give her a grin, something feral in his golden eyes underneath the brim of his hat. “Nothing as impressive as Genji’s, I’m afraid. Serves me well enough though.”

Genji rolled his eyes at that, then leaned closer to Angela to whisper too loudly. “He slayed a direwolf. Larger than a house.”

“Way to keep a secret, Genji,” Jesse huffed and Genji laughed, warm and bright and completely ignoring him. It only took a moment before both Jesse and Angela were laughing as well.

 

*

 

That evening, as they settled down to rest, Jesse showed her the scars on his back from large teeth and sharp claws; covered in the dark grey ink of a wolf’s proud statue.

 

*

 

_A cloudy sky, the hint of rain in the air._

_Two Hunters standing at a crossroad._

_One of them flashing a smile, hair as red as the setting sun._

_The other speaking, accent sharp, voice accusing._

_“Why are you traveling with an Oracle?”_

Angela blinked, gasping softly for breath, stumbling in her step and Genji was at her side in a heartbeat, hand on her elbow and helping her find her footing again. He shared a quick look with Jesse, and they slowed down until they had almost stopped on the road.

“What did you see?” Genji asked, routine for them by now. It had helped them avoid roadblocks and patrols and even the worst of trouble.

But this vision had been different than the ones she had seen recently. The Hunters in the vision hadn’t been hostile and yet those spoken words sent shivers down Angela’s spine when she thought about it. And, she noted as she looked up to the cloudy sky and tasted rain in the air, it hadn’t given her a lot of time.

“We’ll come to a crossroad,” she said, picked up her pace again. If the vision didn’t scream danger at her, then she had nothing to fear. They might not be friendly, they might even turn her over to the nearest guards, but that wasn’t any different from any other person traveling down the same road as them.

“And what happens at this crossroad?” Jesse pressed, sounding more patient than he looked. “Anything we should be worried ‘bout?”

She took a deep breath, then slowly shook her head. “I don’t know.”

Jesse clicked his tongue, turning his gaze back to the road. In the distance, they could see a crossroad. “Your visions aren’t always very helpful.”

“Never claimed them to be.”

There was a huff of laughter and then both Hunters straightened up. Alert and ready for whatever it was Angela had seen, danger or not. Genji resting a hand on his sword.

They reached the crossroad half an hour later, and just like in her vision, two Hunters stood before them. They could’ve passed for women if not for the runes written down their arms, the soft glow of tattoos peeking up from light armor and high collars.

Both Genji and Jesse came to a stop, Angela a step behind them.

One of the Hunters, her hair as red as the setting sun, flashed them both a smile. Her lips painted just as red as her hair, glowing tattoos spreading over her cheeks like the pattern on a cat.

The other Hunter gave them a critical look, her gaze landing on Angela as if she’d known she’d be there. And Angela shrank back just a little when she spoke, already knowing the words spoken in that sharp accent. Her voice accusing.

“Why are you traveling with an Oracle?”

The other Hunter let her smile drop, her curious gaze turning to Angela as well. One of her hands resting on her sword.

“Been a while Lena, Emily,” Jesse said, tilting his hat a bit to the two Hunters. “How’s hunting in the north?”

“As harsh as it ever is,” Emily, the red-haired one, answered. “Found a cult on the rise, trying to resurrect the dragons. Some refuges from the west, trying to escape the empire’s reach. The usual.”

“You didn’t answer me, Jesse,” Lena said, voice hard. “Why are you traveling with an Oracle? You know better than anyone how dangerous they are. Especially now, when the emperor’s Oracle has gone missing.”

“Actually,” Jesse said, clearing his throat. “That’s a funny story-“

“Why have you waited to take her eyes?” Emily interrupted, taking half a step forward and the motion made Genji growl. Angela took a shaky breath, trying to look as small and non-threatening as she could. “Seeing your future is a good weapon.” A pause, a quick glance to her partner. “If you don’t want to, then the two of us can share.”

“Try that, I’ll tear out your throat.” Genji took a step forward, sword half-drawn, the runes on it glowing with power. And before she could stop herself, she had reached forward to pull Genji back again.

Hunters fought beasts and slayed those First Children of the Gods. Not each other. And Angela didn’t want to see the outcome if they did.

The motion made both Lena and Emily freeze, their eyes still on Angela. Staring at the runes on her forearm.

“You’re training her in our art,” Lena said, voice no longer accusing. Only confused. Her gaze finding Jesse’s, frowning slightly. “Why would you train an Oracle to be a Hunter?”

There was a pause and then Jesse shrugged. “It’s been done before.”

“Ana is a special case,” Emily chimed in. “She had already lost one eye.”

“And yet she’s one of our best,” Genji said, sheathing his sword and still keeping a hand on it.

The tension between them could’ve been cut with a knife, and Angela didn’t doubt that the two Hunters didn’t like her at all. But neither had Genji and Jesse when they had first found out about her and it had been a long way to earn their trust, was still a long way to go. And she didn’t quite understand why they were claiming she’s being trained in their arts; she was merely learning how to defend herself and the runes on her arm were meant for protection.

And why, she wanted to ask, didn’t her Hunters deny it?

“I know you want me dead,” she said, breaking the silence between them, and all of them turned to look at her. “You’re not the first and you won’t be the last. But I also know that I will not die by your hand.”

There was a moment before her words truly sank in. Because there was only one reason why she could know such a thing with certainty.

And then Lena shook her head, giving a heavy sigh and turning to Genji and Jesse. “The emperor has requested the presence of every Hunter in the empire. I can only guess why, but he’s offering a lot of gold.” Her gaze shifted back to Angela, a warmth in her eyes. “These two are idiots. Keep them safe.”

“Says the one that tried to ride a griffin,” Jesse huffed and Lena punched him in the arm, so quickly that Angela almost missed the movement.

“I did slay it afterwards!”

“Heed our warning if you’re not heading to the capital,” Emily said. “Keep low. These are desperate times.”

Angela and her two Hunters nodded, and with that they went their different paths down the crossroad. And she had a nagging feeling that she would see the Hunters again.

 

*

 

They were more careful after that, because if the emperor hired Hunters to hunt their own, then nothing good would come out of it. Hunters might not listen to emperors or kings, but they needed coin.

And so, more runes were added to Angela’s arms.

“Just in case worse come to worse,” Genji told her as he drew neat lines with the tip of a dagger, as he whispered life into _power_ and _silence_ in the skin of her other arm.

As they headed out to the larger roads again, moving amongst travelers and traders, conversation became limited. Spies could be everywhere and anyone could listen in on words not meant for them. It didn’t stop Genji and Jesse though, carrying out silent conversations with gestures of their hands, quick and precise and a secret of the Hunters.

Angela felt left out, strangely enough, and she hated that she felt that way. They had shared so much with her, had answered any question she might have, and yet she felt so lonely when she couldn’t speak about more important matters than the weather or ask if Genji could redo the same elaborate braid from yesterday because she quite liked that style.

But she didn’t mention it. Didn’t voice her silent frustrations and she wasn’t really sure who she was even angry with.

A week later as they stomped out the campfire and packed up their things to head back out, after Genji had finished braiding her hair and decorating it with the daffodils found at the edge of the paved road, he gestured at her. At first, she only blinked, and he repeated the sign with a smile.

“It’s your name,” he said eventually, repeating it once more. Then, he made another sign, a bit sharper. “And that’s mine.”

She tried to mimic him, had to try a few times before he gave her a smile that seemed to warm her more than the sun. And although she didn’t know enough to follow their conversation that day, she paid more attention. Tried to memorize the signs she saw most often to ask about when they stopped for the night.

Slowly, but surely, she was starting to take part of their silent conversations.

 

*

 

When the season shifted into a warm summer, they came across another village.

It was larger than the last they had been in, and wasn’t plagued with a griffin or any other beast, and it invited trade from every corner of the empire. They passed traders from the east with beautiful jewelry and rich spices, traders from the west with weapons that could’ve just as well been decorations, and some local traders that sold warm stew and freshly picked vegetables.

They bought a pair of proper boots for Angela from a trader of the neighboring village, and Genji left their side for a few minutes only to return later from one of the western trader’s stalls.

The sword he held out to Angela was gorgeous, light in her hand when she took it, as if made for her.

“You will have to etch it with runes, to truly make it useful against monsters,” he explained, uncertain smile on his lips. “I can teach you how.”

And Angela laughed, holding the sword close to her body, smiling at him with such a brightness that even people around them paused to stare. “I take it we’re to start proper sword-fighting lessons soon?”

Genji smiled back at her, signing something for only her eyes and she felt her cheeks warm.

“Excuse me,” a voice behind her said, and she turned just as Genji placed a hand on his own sword. As tense as ever since the crossroad. But the young man staring up at them, a child by his side, didn’t look very threatening as he stared at their weapons with wide eyes. Lingering on Genji’s runes and tattoo. “Are you Hunters?”

The simple question made silence fall over the market, eyes turning towards them. Fear written in eyes, curiosity in others’.

“My mom used to tell me stories about you,” the man, _child_ now that Angela looked closer and saw his smooth chin, continued as if he didn’t notice the sudden attention he had drawn to them. “You slay beasts, right?”

Jesse and Genji shared a look and then Jesse took a step forward, moving slowly and predictably to not set anyone off. Angela almost held her breath. All fear of being recognized gone, forgotten in that moment because she could only fear what would happen if the market full of people turned against them.

“Are there any beasts around that needs taken care of?” Jesse asked, seriousness in his voice and looked every inch a Hunter from the stories even she had been told as a child. Tall and dangerous, weapons by his side and on his back. Glowing tattoo and feral eyes.

“No, sir, no beasts,” the man running a stall of vegetables near them spoke up instead of the boy, sounding as nervous as he looked. “Not since the empire guards took the three Oracles from the temple up the hill.”

Angela felt herself freeze, holding the sword even closer to herself as if it could protect her.

“Temple up the hill?” Jesse asked, turning his gaze to the north where, on a large hill, was a temple made from white stone. In the afternoon sun, it looked almost radiating. “You can’t mean the Sun Oracles? Sent by the Sun Goddess herself?”

“Afraid so,” the man continued, something heavy in his voice. Sorrow, betrayal even. But there were too many people around, too many that were listening, for him to truly express what he felt.

“Why?” Angela asked, almost surprised to hear her own voice, to hear how steady it sounded despite it all. “When did it happen?”

The man’s gaze shifted to her and she met it, felt herself relax somewhat when she couldn’t see recognition light up his eyes. “Three nights ago.”

“Haven’t you heard?” Another villager spoke up, having found their courage at last. “Oracles from all over the empire are being taken to the capital. Doesn’t matter if they work in the sanctuary of temples or not.”

“That’s just rumors,” another villager scoffed. “We’ve got no proof.”

“I know what I saw!” A trader chimed in, sounding most offended. “They’re being taken to the emperor and if they refuse, they are slain!”

And Angela didn’t even have to ask why, because she already knew the answer. She _was_ the answer. The emperor must truly be desperate, to send not only Hunters after her, but fellow Oracles as well. Those devoted to the Gods and thus saved from monsters and beasts and Hunters and everyone else who would want their eyes and visions for their own.

To serve something good.

 

*

That night, in a soft and warm bed in the local tavern, she woke with her heart stuck in her throat. She sat up, heard Genji and Jesse sleep in their own beds, and stared down at her hands.

Clean.

They were clean.

She knew that this was a vision she couldn’t change, had known it the first time it had come to her. But seeing it again, without any details changed, was a cruel reminder of the inevitable.

She took a moment to breathe, to calm her heart, to count to one hundred in her native tongue, before she laid down again.

As she waited for the dreamless sleep that always followed, she could still feel the weight of the dagger in her hand.

 

*

 

The thing about the future was that it was easily changed.

Decisions, however small or large, could change everything in a moment. And in that mess of changing futures were a few fixed points, so rare that Angela had only ever seen a handful of them. Fixed points that wouldn’t change, no matter how hard you tried nor however many steps you took to avoid them, and sometimes what you did to change that future was what led you up to it.

Everything around those points kept changing.

The emperor was doing everything in his power to find her, taking more and more drastic measures, from Hunters traveling down roads they could easily avoid to patrolling guards led by generals who had seen her often enough to recognize her from a mile away and that couldn’t be avoided as easily. And with every new decision the emperor made, Angela would be granted a new vision.

She couldn’t control them, not fully. She couldn’t choose what she wanted to see, it was a constant mix of large important events and smaller ones that would change the next moment.

And so, her visions showed the emperor sitting on his throne and giving orders to have her found, hunted, brought back to him alive, tortured and by force if must. Of soldiers discussing the best way to slay an Oracle and then of said soldiers facing down Oracles who had never devoted themselves to the Gods and had hidden in swamps and in hills and in caves, facing those soldiers and guards with bared teeth and all-seeing eyes.

She saw the death of sisters she had never before met, and every time she blinked her way back to her own reality, she couldn’t help but wonder if those visions would come true.

 

*

 

Three weeks later, the visions changed.

They had made camp for the night, Jesse was to take first watch, and Angela had just laid down when she blinked.

_A roadblock, a vast desert beyond._

_Soldiers with the empire’s insignia on their armor surrounding them._

_Spears pointed at the Hunters, the tips etched with black runes._

_Genji meeting her gaze without fear as the Goddess of Death came for him._

Angela blinked again.

She took a shaky breath, turned around so that her back was towards the Hunters. She didn’t want to tell them about the vision, knew that she could change it, and swore to herself that she would.

 

*

 

The moment they saw the roadblock, Angela stopped dead in her tracks, forcing the Hunters to stop as well.

“We go there and you will both die,” she said, turned on her heel and started walking back the way they came. Genji and Jesse didn’t protest as they followed her in silence, hoping that the border a few miles away might allow easier crossing.

On the way, Angela had another vision, and the moment they saw the next border, the next roadblock, the next patrol of guards, she turned on her heel again and chose a new road to walk down.

“It’s not good, is it?” Jesse said when they approached the third roadblock that day. Angela hadn’t received a vision for this one and walked with determined steps.

They were so close to safety, so close on fulfilling the deal made in blood, that she could almost taste it. But she refused to pass that border, safe and alive as the deal demanded, if it meant the sacrifice of the Hunters.

She didn’t want anyone else to die because of her.

“It’s not,” she answered, eyes on the border and the group of soldiers that stood guard there. “The emperor is getting more and more desperate. More unpredictable. The future changes drastically whenever he makes a decision and he can’t seem to make up his mind.”

She fell into silence when they came up to the border and the guards stood to attention.

“The road is closed,” one of them said, sounding bored and yet firm. “No one may pass.”

“We are in a bit of a hurry,” Jesse said, angling his hat a bit so the guards could see his golden eyes. They all stilled, hands reaching for weapons they wouldn’t draw until necessary. And no sane person drew a weapon against a Hunter. “So if you could kindly let us pass-“

“Are you deaf?” The first guard repeated, seemed to ignore what Jesse was. “ _No one_ may pass. If you’re in that much of a hurry to get through, then go look for the emperor’s Oracle! The sooner she’s returned, the sooner the borders will open.”

“And there’s a huge reward if you return her alive,” another of the guards said, then shifted nervously when Jesse turned his gaze towards him.

Genji signed to Jesse, sharp and quickly. “ _We can try the crossing near the Narrow Sea_.”

Jesse nodded slowly, then lowered his hat once more. “Thank you for the information. We might just do that.”

The guards looked relieved when their small group turned around, walking back the way they had come.

 

*

 

The next village they came across was located in a forest, the road dirty and well-used.

“Something smells burnt,” Angela mumbled, sniffing in the air, all but waiting on a vision of what dangers could be waiting for them. But unlike some Oracles, she couldn’t summon them on will.

“Keep your eyes open,” Jesse muttered back, reaching for his bow. “Something is wrong here.”

They walked further down the road, passed some charred trees, and then stopped dead in their tracks. Before them, where the village should’ve been, were only ashes.

And Angela froze at the sight, her breath catching and for a moment she was a child again, screaming as the village burned before her, helpless to do anything but scream her throat raw.

“Angela?”

She blinked, remembered how to breathe, and slowly nodded.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she whispered, her voice trembling and she refused to meet their gazes. “I’m fine.”

“Vision?” Jesse asked hesitantly, perhaps not really sure if he wanted to know the answer or not. Anything behind this must be dangerous, human or not.

She took a deep breath, trying to will her heart to slow its race. “No. I just remembered something.” A pause as she slowly walked over the ashes, the burnt-down structures of houses. Where even stone had melted. “My village was set aflame the day I was taken. This looks different though. The fire seems to have burnt hotter.”

She knew Genji and Jesse shared a look, words signed back and forth behind her back, but she ignored them, venturing further into what had been the village. Some moments it was hard to separate reality from the vision she had seen as a child and the memory still so very clear to her. Flames rising high. The screams of her family, of the villagers. The unblinking eyes of the general who would one day become the emperor as he held her close, turning her into a prisoner from that day forth.

Shaking her head, she tried to push away the memories of reality and a vision that hadn’t made sense to a scared child.

“There’s a trail leading into the forest,” Jesse spoke up from behind her and she turned around. “Whatever did this is not human.”

“Well, good thing we came along then,” she muttered, joining the Hunters again, stepped close to Genji. He let his hand brush past hers and suddenly it was a little bit easier to breathe. She gave them a trying smile. “Hunting is what you two do best.”

They followed the trail further into the forest, of charred trees and small embers still burning amongst the leaves. A bright red, almost crimson, unlike any flame she had ever seen.

Their steps made no sound on the ground, even as they stepped on dead leaves and sticks, the runes of _silence_ on her arm burning faintly with each step. And they stopped behind a large tree without a single leaf on its branches, for just beyond the ground was charred and covered in ash. In the middle, like a throne in its own court room, was a nest.

And in that nest, the single splash of color in a landscape of grey, was a great bird. Its feathers shifted with every movement, displaying every shade of red and orange and yellow, looking almost as if the bird itself was aflame.

“A firebird,” Genji breathed by her side, then switched to sign language. “ _I haven’t seen one in decades._ ”

“ _You think it’s fitting?_ ” Jesse signed from her other side and Genji grinned back, giving a short nod before turning to Angela.

“ _With us as witnesses_ ,” Genji began to sign and there was something different in his movements, more formal, that made Angela straighten up and pay attention. “ _Would you honor us with this kill?_ ”

She almost forgot how to breathe.

“ _You want me to kill that bird?_ ” She signed back, so fast that she almost missed some words. “ _Alone?!_ ”

Jesse covered his mouth not to let out the sound of his laughter, but she could see it in his eyes as he signed to her with one hand. “ _Tradition_.”

“ _Trad_ -“ she began to sign, then paused. Eyes widening as their words sank in.

The first kill of a Hunter was special, she had been told. It defined who you would become, what kind of Hunter you would be. And they were asking her if she wanted this hunt, if she wanted this to be her first kill.

As a Hunter.

The very thought made something warm settle in her stomach, a certain kind of determination taking over. Her decision must’ve shown because both Genji and Jesse grinned at her, slowly backing away to give her space.

She glanced back at them, hand on the hilt of her sword and Genji raised his hands.

“ _Good Hunting_.”

 

*

 

The fight itself was short, much shorter than she thought it would be.

Genji had trained her well and her body acted on instinct as the great bird twisted before her, and she danced around it to avoid the sharp talons and beak. Cutting with her sword where she could reach, slicing through a wing and hindering it from taking off.

It looked at her with fury in its eyes, snapping at her, and then it took a deep breath.

A blink.

Angela dove to the side, avoiding the crimson fire drowning the spot where she had just stood, the flames rising high up to the crowns of the trees, as if reaching for the sky itself. And while it breathed fire at a spot where she was not, she raised her sword and cut cleanly through its neck.

It was easier than she thought it would be.

To take the life of a beast, to get revenge for the many people it had killed in that village. How many more it would’ve killed.

Only then, with the beast dead and cooling, did the two Hunters come out from cover. Jesse with a tilt of his hat. Genji with a smile so warm and proud that Angela couldn’t help but grin back, even with her arms covered in blood.

That night, ink was lain upon her skin with the blood of the firebird, making it a part of her. The wide spread of its wings over her shoulder blades and down her shoulders, its open beak reaching up for her neck, its long tail of feathers reaching down over her lower back. Wrapping around her with the soft hum of the Gods.

Her very first kill as a Hunter.

 

*

 

They took the main road more and more often after that, and the patrols they passed paid less attention to them than before.

Perhaps it was because of the runes covering Angela’s arms, of invisibility and silence and power and everything that turned curious eyes away.

Perhaps it was because of the way she held herself, of the boots on her feet and the light armor she wore, of the look in her eyes that didn’t hold an ounce of the shyness she’d had in the palace, where she would avert her eyes if a general or higher looked at her.

Or perhaps she looked more like a Hunter now than an Oracle.

 

*

 

“ _The soldiers are moving east_ ,” Genji signed after they had passed a bridge and yet another group of soldiers all wearing the empire’s insignia on their chests. “ _Every patrol we’ve passed have been moving in the same direction. It can’t be coincidence_.”

“ _They might be preparing for something_ ,” Jesse signed back, his gestures rougher than Genji’s and harder to interpret. “ _Something big_.”

“ _I haven’t seen anything out of the ordinary yet_ ,” Angela signed, using the special sign for _seeing_ that they had taught her a few days ago. “ _Whatever he’s planning doesn’t directly affect us._ ”

“ _Which makes it the more worrying_.” Genji frowned at the road. “ _I don’t like it._ ”

They found their answer a few hours later, when they walked alongside a family of trade, the children riding the cart and the great ox that pulled it along huffed with every step. And the Hunters couldn’t help but notice the upset tone the wife had as she whispered to her husband, the look of fear she threw over a shoulder at every turn.

“Excuse me,” Jesse said, tilting his hat a bit to look up at the pair riding in front of the cart. “Is there trouble in the east?”

“Trouble?” The woman said, huffing and puffing as if that was ridiculous. “There’s more than _trouble_ in the east! The emperor is preparing for war!”

That made the Hunters pause, sharing a worried look.

“Last I heard, the Oracle is still missing,” Angela said, choosing her words carefully. “Why would the emperor wage a war without her?”

Starting a war without her, without a certain victory, was not something that the emperor did. He had reached power thanks to her, thanks to her telling him which battles to choose. And he never headed into something he would lose.

“It’s _because_ of her!” The woman continued, still in that tone as if Angela was being ridiculous. “Rumor has it that she’s fled east and the emperor is planning on expanding the borders! I for one would not want my family anywhere near that!”

They let the family travel on in peace and only when they were far away did Angela speak, her voice low only for the Hunters to hear.

“The emperor has truly become desperate if he’s willing to go to war without me.”

“Desperate,” Genji mumbled back. “Or simply mad.”

 

*

 

_There is not a single star above, the skies clouded and moon new._

_The camp is asleep, the ones on watch staring into the flames._

_They appear without a sound._

_From the shadows, in the cover of the night._

_Swords drawn, eyes focused, as deadly as any beast._

_Screams fill the night._

_And as one, they go silent._

Blinking, Angela stared into Genji’s warm eyes. Saw his worry there and leaned into his gentle touch as he held her and kept her from falling.

“I can’t see an end,” she whispered, moved closer to him and begging wordlessly to be held. Her mother used to do that when she was young, when she had her very first visions that she couldn’t understand, of things that would happen the next day and of things that she would have to wait years and years to find out if they would come true.

Genji wrapped his arms around her and held her close, letting her bury her nose in the crook of his neck. Thumb rubbing gently circles over her back, over cloth that covered fiery wings.

“No matter how many visions I get, I can’t see an end,” she continued, felt her voice tremble. “I’ve seen war before, but never like this.”

“The east has a strong nation with powerful rulers and an even larger army,” Jesse muttered from across the campfire, hat covering his face and if he hadn’t spoken, she would’ve thought he was asleep. “It’s not a war the emperor can win easily.”

“So many will die,” she whispered, closing her eyes and wishing she could stop seeing visions of a war that would come. “Brave warriors and innocents alike.”

All because of her.

Because she decided to run away and because she hadn’t let herself be captured and brought back. And she didn’t even regret that decision, hadn’t felt this free, hadn’t felt like her own in so many years that she couldn’t even remember what it had been like. But while she was regaining her freedom, so many others were losing theirs.

“Is it a certain future?” Genji asked then and it made Angela pause. She pulled away slightly so she could meet his eye.

“No,” she answered, almost surprised by her own words. “It’s not. But it’s not easy to avoid a war.”

“Don’t you usually say that even the smallest of things can change everything?” Jesse said, lifting his hat slightly to grin at her. His eyes glowing gold in the darkness, reminding her of a great wolf.

And Angela laughed, a soft huff of disbelief. “Don’t use my words against me.”

Jesse gave her a wink, then lowered the hat again, relaxing back onto the grass.

“Better prove yourself right then.”

 

*

 

They continue down the road they had chosen, the trees to their left side starting to shift in color. The first sign of autumn.

The road was paved, like most roads leading directly to the capital was, though they wouldn’t be traveling down it much further. A bit down the road, at the next crossroad, they would head north and try their luck at the border there.

The northern lands were a lot more dangerous than the west or even east with its upcoming war, but Angela was no longer the sheltered Oracle she had once been. And chances were that the borders weren’t as well guarded up north, or at least a better chance for the great beasts dwelling in the mountains going down and wreaking havoc amongst the borders.

It was the best chance they had.

Their other plan didn’t have as good chances of survival, but it might be easier to slip across the border where everyone was preparing for a war. Bribe the right officer or find the right crossing with less security. The problem with that plan was what to do once Angela was over and safe. Staying in the east would only confirm the emperor’s suspicion of her being there all along and the eastern nation probably wouldn’t see too kindly on having an Oracle on the run in its lands. Especially not when a war was waged over her.

“ _There might still be bones left from the fire-breathing dragons in the north_ ,” Genji told her, using a different sign for _dragon_ than he did when he spoke about the one he had slayed in the east. “ _If we’re lucky we might see some_.”

Jesse made a strange sign, “- _mentioned that there were cults rising. Might keep us busy_.”

Angela repeated the strange sign and Jesse grinned at her, spelling out Lena’s name.

“ _Cults for extinct First Children sounds serious_ ,” Angela signed back, giving a soft huff. “ _Not sure I want to be close-_ “

A blink.

_Soldiers hiding behind bushes, between the trees._

_Watching the paced road ahead of them._

_Steps approaching down the road._

_A signal and the soldiers drew their weapons._

Another blink and she stopped dead in her tracks.

Recognizing the look in her eyes whenever she saw a vision, both Genji and Jesse stopped, waiting for information.

“ _Other road_ ,” she signed, pointing to the dirt road that followed the paved one for a bit and then veered off. “ _To avoid ambush_.”

Both Genji and Jesse tensed slightly by her words, a watchful eye on the trees to their side, hands resting on the hilt of swords and bow. They began walking down the other road instead, even though it wouldn’t take them where they wanted to go. They’d have to go around later on, choose another road, perhaps even-

Angela blinked.

_A signal and the soldier drew the bow._

_Letting the arrow go._

Another blink and a flash of red across her cheek, hot pain dripping down to her chin. And around them, from the bushes and dropping down from trees, came soldiers wearing the insignia of the empire upon their chests. And in their midst were Lena and Emily.

Acting on instinct, Angela drew her sword the moment Genji did the same, Jesse raising his bow with an arrow aimed at the archers staying behind. Three arrows were fired and three archers fell.

“Take her alive!” Lena shouted out the order. “Leave the Hunters to us!”

The clash of swords and Lena and Emily were on Genji and Jesse, forcing them back from the soldiers around them. Angela tried to hold back the soldiers as good as she could, meeting swords with her own, dancing around blows that were too slow and too clumsy.

But they were many, surrounding her in only a matter of seconds, and there was a press of a sword against her back and she froze. Immediately, another sword was pointed at her throat, more and more swords pointed at her.

They couldn’t kill her, but they were allowed to harm her. And she couldn’t move without greeting the Goddess of Death. She lowered her sword, felt a soldier tear it from her hand and she mourned its loss.

“We’ve got her!” The general shouted and stepped around her, forcing her hands together to bind them behind her back. She tried to struggle then, damned be the swords at her throat. The general gripped her hair, braided in a single braid over her shoulder with flowers already falling out from the short fight.

“Try that again,” he breathed near her ear, sending shivers down her spine. “We have orders to bring you back alive, but never in what state. So please,” he tightened his grip on her hair, angling her head back and baring the throat to the soldier in front of her. And he looked just as frightened as she felt. “Try that again.”

Her hair was released, the ropes around her wrists tightened, and then she was thrown over a horse, stomping restlessly at the fighting still going on. The general jumped up after her, and she felt like a deer that had been killed in a hunt, brought back home as a prize.

“Genji!” She screamed, saw the Hunter react at her words, staring up at her with wide eyes. So full of warmth and fear and love that Angela could only smile back. “I’ll be alright!”

Someone hit her with the blunt end of a sword, splitting her lip and making her spit blood on the ground. The next moment, the horse was moving, galloping away from the Hunters fighting.

The sound of their clashing blades following her long after they’d gone from sight.

 

*

 

What Angela would never know was that the moment they rounded the corner and were no longer in their sights, Lena and Emily took a step back, hands held up in a single sign that all Hunters knew.

Genji and Jesse both paused, slowly lowering their weapons despite the rage boiling in their veins.

“You sold her out,” Genji hissed, dragon moving on his arm and all he needed was a reason, for them to drop that sign that prevented him from harming them. “For a few pieces of gold, you sold her out.”

“ _We will explain_ ,” Lena signed, gestures smooth and calming. As if she was facing a great dragon and a direwolf instead of two Hunters. “ _Give us a moment_.”

The remaining soldiers pointed their weapons at Genji and Jesse, and although they looked terrified, there was also a sense of victory there. Humans who had managed to kill a Hunter were few and far between, but amongst the empire’s armies, that was a sign of the greatest soldiers.

Emily lowered her hands, but before either Genji or Jesse could move to attack her, she had moved on the soldiers. Swords swinging like flashes of red, a short dance before she came to a stop. Soldiers falling around her.

“When we were at the palace, Fareeha explained,” Lena said, speaking now that their company was gone. And at the mention of Fareeha, both Genji and Jesse stilled. “She told us what Angela had seen that night. What is bound to happen.”

A pause, Lena daring to lower her hands and none of the Hunters moved.

“This is what needs to be done.”

 

*

 

The palace looked as she remembered it.

It had been built from white stone that looked aflame in the setting sun, with high ceilings and polished floor of marble. The emperor’s banners hanging from pillars, as if the visitor might forget who lived and ruled in these halls.

She was brought into the throne room itself, the high ceiling seeming to reach endlessly above them.

_The throne room of the palace, the high ceiling seeming to reach endlessly up above them._

The painted glass high above letting in the midday sun, sending an array of color upon the floors.

_The painted glass letting in the midday sun._

And the polished floors reflected the shine of the guards’ heavy armor, the shine of the broadswords they carried. She counted the ten guards, then met the gaze of Fareeha who stood proud and tall before them. Showing no sign of recognition.

_The polished floors a mirror for the many guards, for Fareeha who stands before them._

And in front of them, three steps up, was the throne. A large chair clad in red and gold, decorated with designs of lions and griffins and everything brave and dangerous in the world.

The emperor smiled down at them.

She was forced down on her knees and the emperor clicked his tongue, looking almost bored from his throne.

“Cut the ropes,” he ordered, his voice echoing in the throne room. “She is no danger.”

A knife was brought out, the ropes binding her wrists were cut. And during those few seconds, with each blink, she could see new visions of what the emperor planned for her as he changed his mind over and over. Torture and pain and agony, her skin being torn open and her teeth pulled out, her eyes never being touched.

Once, she would’ve been terrified of him and what he could do to her. But now, all she felt was a strange calmness.

She had faced worse monsters than him.

“I will not die by your hand,” she spoke into the silent room, her voice carried firm and strong. And it was as if speaking it, as if telling him herself, suddenly made the words true. Even though she had known it ever since she was a child.

Her words made the emperor laugh, the sound haunting as the ceiling captured it. And he rose from the throne, slowly walked down the three steps of stairs. “You have always served me well, from the very moment I found you.”

_There is a laughter and the emperor steps forward, down the three steps of stairs leading up to his throne._

He came to stand just in front of Fareeha and Angela saw her clench her fists, would’ve reached for the sword at her side if she could’ve. But the moment she made a motion to harm their emperor, she would be cut down. No matter her rank.

“What have those Hunters done to you?” The emperor reached out to her, something soft in his eyes. “You poor thing, you’ll be safe here. Everything will go back to normal now.”

_“Everything will go back to normal now.”_

She found it easy to breathe then, standing up without anyone to stop her, and the emperor smiled. Hand still reached out as if to touch her cheek, still smeared with dry blood lured forth by a single arrow.

Fury boiled in her veins. Warmth awakening on her back, spreading over her shoulders and down over runes of protection and silence and power etched into her skin.

_And there is a fury, a flame awakening upon her back._

The firebird spread its wings, crimson and burning, _alive_. And the guards all took a step back, eyes wide and full of fear because before them was no longer a simple Oracle, chained to an emperor who had murdered her family and stolen her from her home.

Before them stood an Oracle and a Hunter.

And when she looked up at the emperor, met his fearful gaze, her eyes burned blue.

She moved as quickly as Genji had taught her, quicker because of the runes on her arms, even quicker still because of the wings of a First Child of the Gods carrying her. The guards had taken her sword and not the dagger up her sleeve, etched with the runes for _wind_.

She gave it her trust and it cut through cloth and armor, through flesh and bone, striking true into the heart.

_The dagger cuts through cloth and armor and flesh and bone, striking true into a heart._

Warm blood pooled out from his chest, coating the blade, the hilt, running down over her hands and forearms. Covering those glowing runes Genji had so lovingly given her.

_Blood coating the blade, the hilt, down over her hands and forearms._

And before her, _the emperor falls dead at her feet._

 

*

 

When she had her first vision, the vision of her own death, her mother had gently cupped her chin and smiled.

“Sometimes,” she had told Angela, “the roads you take to avoid your destiny is what leads you to it.”

When she had received the vision of the emperor’s death, had seen herself standing over his dead body with a knife in hand and blood coating her arms, with a strange burning over her back, she hadn’t thought that it was her.

Her, the timid and weak Oracle that needed protection from the sun itself, the one to end the emperor’s reign?

When she had told Fareeha that night, there had been laughter in her voice, up to the moment where the danger of the reality set in. The emperor would have her killed, would have her locked up, would have her tortured until her vision wouldn’t become true.

And the road she had taken to avoid her destiny, the vision set in stone, was what had led her to it.

 

*

 

The throne room was chaos.

There were shouts, confusion and fury and “I order you to stand back!” The solid presence of Fareeha watching her back, sword drawn and ready to fight to the death to protect the Oracle.

And all Angela could do was stare down at the emperor.

With a deep breath, she closed her eyes, felt the burning reside on her back. The firebird folding its wings and settling back down on her skin, still so very alive. Then she turned around.

The ten guards all had their weapons drawn and pointed at Angela, their eyes wide with fear of what she had done. What she had become. What she had always been.

She looked over the guards, met the fearful eyes of every one of them, noticed when more people began filtering into the room. More guards, politicians and senators, servants and curious visitors.

“There will be no war with the east,” she spoke, her voice clear and true in the throne room. Everyone stilled at her words, when they realized who was talking, noticed the body behind her. “The borders will open once more. That is all I request.”

She continued walking over the throne room, the guards and gathering crowd parting before her. And she walked, for the first time in those halls, with her back straight and head held high.

Fareeha hurried after her, still ready to protect her, just a step behind.

“Is this going to be fine?” She asked, voice low. “What if another takes the throne, another like him?”

That made Angela pause, and she allowed herself to blink, a vision flashing by for only her to see.

“I don’t know,” she answered, smile on her lips. “Only the future will tell.”

 

*

 

They met up with the Hunters just outside the city and the moment Genji saw her, he rushed forward. Hands holding hers, worry in his eyes.

“It’s not mine,” she whispered, saw the relief before he wrapped his arms around her. Held her close and refused to let go, and she held on to him, a laughter slipping past her lips. And she could’ve died happily there; warm and secure and knowing that everything would be right in the empire again.

“Did you fulfill the prophecy?” Lena asked, and Angela was about to answer when she noticed that the Hunter wasn’t looking at her.

Fareeha was the one to answer, laughter in her voice. “Just as mom foresaw.”

“Two prophecies fulfilled in one day,” Emily said, a proud smile on her lips and she greeted Angela with a nod. “Ana will be pleased to hear that.”

Over Genji’s shoulder, she caught a glimpse of Jesse signing, a grin on his lips. “ _Well Hunted._ ”

And Angela laughed, burrowing her nose in the crook of Genji’s neck, pressing close to him and just let herself be held.

 

*

 

It took a week for a new emperor to be chosen.

The first thing the new emperor did was to open the borders and write a formal apology to the eastern nation. The captured Oracles were released, soldiers protecting them as they returned to their temples and sanctuaries.

Jesse went his separate way, claiming that it’s been a while since he last saw Ana, and so he traveled south with Fareeha. Lena and Emily disappeared soon thereafter without a trace and it would be years before Angela saw them again, across an ocean in a harbor where they spoke in her native tongue.

And Angela reminded Genji of the blood-deal their friends had made, and together they traveled north, across a border that had only just opened. The northern lands were barren and dangerous, just as they had been told, but not much could stand in the way of two Hunters and visions of the future granted by the Gods themselves.

Together, they would come to clear up the land and make the roads safer.

And many years from now, from the top of a mountain and sitting on the corpse of a fire-breathing dragon, they would watch the sun rise over the world.

Knowing what the future might bring and embracing every moment of it.

**Author's Note:**

> Angela's prophecy:  
>  _The throne room of the palace, the high ceiling seeming to reach endlessly up above them._  
>  _The painted glass letting in the midday sun._  
>  _The polished floors a mirror for the many guards, for Fareeha who stands before them._  
>  _There is a laughter and the emperor steps forward, down the three steps of stairs leading up to his throne._  
>  _“Everything will go back to normal now.”_  
>  _And there is a fury, a flame awakening upon her back._  
>  _The dagger cuts through cloth and armor and flesh and bone, striking true into a heart._  
>  _Blood coating the blade, the hilt, down over her hands and forearms._  
>  _The emperor falls dead at her feet._


End file.
